1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pedal device for an electronic keyboard instrument.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, electronic keyboard apparatuses such as electronic pianos and the like that spuriously reproduce the tone colors, the maneuverability, the external appearance and the like of acoustic pianos have gained popularity. As a pedal device used for an electronic keyboard apparatus of the type described above, Japanese Laid-open Patent Application, Publication No. JP2004-334008, describes a pedal device that is equipped with a first pedal lever that is operated through depression by the performer, a second pedal lever that moves together with the first pedal lever when the first pedal lever is depressed by an amount greater than the reference amount, and a first spring and a second spring that give reaction forces countering the depression operation of the first pedal lever to the first pedal lever and the second pedal level, respectively. According to the pedal device, the operation load to the first pedal lever is changed in a stepwise fashion according to the depression amount by the first spring and the second spring, whereby a feeling of operation similar to that given by the damper pedal of an acoustic piano can be realized.
However, while the pedal device described in Japanese Patent Application, Publication No. JP2004-334008 described above can realize a feeling of operation similar to that given by the damper pedal of an acoustic piano, it entails problems, such as, a larger number of components and a more complex structure as it is equipped with two pedal levers, i.e., the first pedal lever and the second pedal lever, which lead to an increased size of the device.